"If I'm not mistaken, the Earth Dragon Cave must be descended from the snake priests of the ancient Warlock Dynasty."
"Snake Priests?" Yuchi Feihong heard this term for the first time and was somewhat puzzled, as he had never heard of this faction before.
Chen Qing patiently explained, "Back then, in order to attract humans to serve them, the Dragon Palace spread the Dragon Transformation Technique. Humans also have the peculiar ability to Fusion with all things. Thus, this technique of grafting with demons became a secret art for some sorcerers to pursue immortality."
"Among all creatures, snakes are a very peculiar species. According to the research of ancient sorcerers, some non-demon snakes can live for thousands of years, while some demonic snakes are even more extraordinary. They can constantly shed their skin, and it seems that as long as they have a source of food, they will not die."
"How could that be?" Yuchi Feihong: "I've never heard of an immortal snake demon, have I?"
"That's because these kinds of snake demons can't survive once they grow to a certain size!" Chen Qing explained. "Shedding-type snake demons grow larger with each molt, and their appetite also increases. Their enormous size makes them hard to hide, and their increased appetite causes chaos in the human world. That's why you often see huge snake demons wreaking havoc in the countryside, only to be killed by sorcerers or warriors. They rarely grow to be over a thousand years old."
"I see. What about those in the north?"
" Earth Python!" Chen Qing nodded. "By hiding deep underground and avoiding humans, they have a space to survive. In an era when demons were weak, this was one method. And what led those snakes to slumber underground was the Earth Mother. These Earth Mother, through the ancient consciousness in the Ancient Heavenly Python Palace, attracted priests to serve them. In the Southern Barbarians, those half-human, half-snake evil gods were the easiest to attract."
"You mean those evil gods and demons of the Southern Barbarians Kingdom are human?"
"Do you think religion is organized by humans or by gods?" Chen Qing suddenly asked a very strange question.
Yuchi Feihong was taken aback. "Isn't it all said that it was organized by evil gods who tempted mortals? Including your current Divine Path Style, isn't it the same principle?"
"Hey, don't talk nonsense!" Chen Qing immediately said, "Although we both make a living through faith, mine is different."
The gods bestowed by Divine Path Style are not passive recipients; they absorb faith and use it to build and expand their followers, following a path of shared prosperity—a principle of taking from the people and using it for the people. Evil gods, on the other hand, are like organized crime groups. They collect protection money but have little regard for rules or your life or death. After exploiting you in every way possible, they will incite your greed, turning you into a madman of desire, burning yourself to give the other party the greatest faith. Once you have no value, they will not even spare your life or soul.
But it's different from our formal organization.
"I'm not saying your organization is like an evil god, I'm just saying it's somewhat similar."
"If you can't speak properly, then don't talk nonsense." Chen Qing rolled her eyes at him. "Both the government and the gangsters take your hard-earned money, how can they be the same?"
Yuchi Feihong: "."
"Ahem," Chen Qing coughed lightly and continued, "Anyway, most evil gods are actually human. The reason is simple: only humans understand each other best, so they know what kind of temptation can quickly form an organization."
"I see."
"But why open the Heavenly Python Palace that the Lord spoke of?"
"Of course, it's all in pursuit of the strongest," Chen Qing laughed. "There are two directions in the evolution of snakes. One is to shed their skin and transform into a dragon, and then into a serpent. In this way, their size will shrink, and they will gain supernatural powers and their lifespan will be greatly increased, but there is a drawback."
"Shortcoming?"
"Yes, the drawback is that dragons, unlike snakes, cannot evolve continuously by shedding their skin and achieve near-immortality."
Yuchi Feihong: "."
"You mean, those snakes of the Southern Barbarians don't want to transform into dragons, but instead want to continue growing larger?"
"You're definitely a bit quicker-witted than Yuchi Peng," Chen Qing laughed. "That's exactly what I mean. The Heavenly Python Palace is another form of snake evolution—endless shedding of skin, endless expansion!"
"Can this kind of thing last?" This time, even Yuchi Feihong, who knew nothing about biology, felt something was wrong.
"No." Chen Qing shook his head. "But it is the most powerful way for snakes to evolve and live long. The evil gods of the Southern Barbarians are on the verge of physical collapse, so they want to open the Heavenly Python Palace, find the Heavenly Python Secret Technique, and re-evolve their bodies."
"If that's the case, why didn't you act from the beginning, but instead chose now?"
"There are many reasons, one of which lies with the gatekeeper," Chen Qing explained in a low voice. "Back then, after the Heavenly Python Palace was freed from certain constraints, it was sealed by the evil gods below in rebellion. The reason is simple: the learned snake sorcerers understood the ecology of the world best, and they also knew very well that these Heavenly Python, if they never died, would one day devour the world. That's why they rebelled and sealed the Heavenly Python Palace. And the key to the seal should have been obtained by a demon not long ago."
" Madam Lu?"
"Hmm," Chen Qing nodded, " Madam Lu has a special bloodline. She speaks snake language and can communicate with all the snake spirits in the world. She also has a parasitic treasure bottle that almost guarantees she won't be captured or killed. She's the best candidate for surveillance. If I'm not mistaken, the reason the Zhulong Kingdom was besieged was because some snake Spirit Arts got greedy and wanted to open the Heavenly Python Palace, which led to the siege and destruction. And the King of Qin, who organized all of this, chose Madam Lu to restrain those snake Spirit Arts."
"Using a Samsara demon, especially one that is almost impossible to Samsara, and one who understands snake language, she can monitor the movements of the Southern Barbarians at all times. After all, many snake spirits are not very intelligent, and if someone tries to open the Heavenly Python Palace again, those snake spirits will easily be exposed."
" The Earth Dragon Cave was probably an intelligence organization, initially set out to monitor the snake spirit nobles of the Southern Barbarians, but it was exploited by the Lu Household and turned into an assassination organization that raised snake demons."
"Did Madam Lu confess to these things?" Yuchi Feihong couldn't help but ask.
Chen Qing shook his head slightly. That woman was more tolerant than he had imagined. She endured all sorts of torture but didn't say a word. She harbored a great deal of resentment towards him.
Yuchi Feihong was stunned. "You're describing it exactly as if you saw it with your own eyes."
What secrets lie behind the King of Qin's arrangements, the true reasons for the fall of the Zhulong Kingdom, and the arrangements entrusted to the Lu Household?
How did this guy know?
Could it be...?
A thought popped into Yuchi Feihong's mind: Could this guy be a descendant of the King of King of Qin?
Shaking his head, he realized that the most pressing matter wasn't about worrying about that, but rather the so-called Heavenly Python Palace that Chen Qing had mentioned. It sounded even more terrifying than the Dragon Palace. Although the Dragon Palace was cruel, it could still accommodate humans, at most enslaving them. But the Heavenly Python Palace was clearly a world-destroying lord!
"My lord, once that thing is activated, can the world still exist?"
"How can it not exist?" Chen Qing rolled her eyes. "That thing has been activated before, and the world is fine as it is."
"This"
"Don't despair too much," Chen Qing said with a laugh. "Those big things are indeed terrifying, but that's only from our perspective. For some things, those big things are the best nourishment!"
"Ah?"
"You'll find out later." Chen Qing squinted. "I suspect there's something fishy about this betrayal by the Lu Household."
"Something fishy?"
"The imperial court couldn't possibly be unaware of what the Lu Household possessed. With the entire Lu Household heading north, wasn't anyone there to stop them?"
"Uh..." Yuchi Feihong remained silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "I heard that the Imperial Palace in the capital is under the control of something."
"You really think that Emperor Xiao Household is under control?"
Yuchi Feihong remained silent. In the past, he wouldn't have believed it. He had even admired the other party before. How could an emperor with extraordinary courage and grand ambitions be completely silent and controlled so easily?
After witnessing the power of ancient forces, including Baiyu, he realized that it wasn't impossible.
Chen Qing shook his head. "Ancient powers are difficult to invade the present world. They basically have to rely on tempting powerful people in the present world to help break the seal. All ancient things were sealed because of human greed, and the more powerful a person is, the easier it is to be tempted. I think that the man is still in charge in the palace, and the Lu Household's trip to the north was probably organized by him!"
"His Majesty wants to open the Heavenly Python Palace?" Yuchi Feihong still couldn't understand. "What is his purpose?"
Chen Qing looked eastward, his face somber. He did have a guess, but he prayed it wasn't true, otherwise, the capital would truly be a place he couldn't set foot in!